However, I still stand by the idea that they draft a quarterback in Jake Locker next year. They also traded for Charlie Whitehurst, who they obviously want to play for them, and possibly be Matt Hasselbeck’s successor.

That said, I believe that Taylor Mays, USC’s safety, is not worthy of the 14th overall pick. He may have talent, but he’s going to need more coaching than a bakery needs yeast. The reason Mays is of particular interest is because Seattle’s new coach is Pete Carroll, who was the architect of the USC dynasty of the 2000s and Taylor Mays was his player.

Coaches like to have guys that they know how to work with them. If Seattle wants to draft him, they should trade down, get another third or fourth round draft pick with an early pick in the twenties, and then draft him.

If they do decide to draft with the 14th pick, my advice is to grab defensive tackle, Dan Williams.

Originally I had Brian Price going to them, but then I decided to review the film closely. Price was a 4-3 UCLA defensive tackle who I noticed was explosive off the ball, and very good at the pass rush while good to pretty good against the run.

Then it hit me. Why in the world would they draft a pass-rushing defensive tackle?

The NFC West is the weakest division in the NFL. With the departure of Cardinals quarterback, Kurt Warner, the division is now up for grabs. It’s like an unstable country that is waiting for one of the power groups to take control.

The other thing about the NFC West is the styles of offense that are run. All three of Seattle’s division rivals are running based teams.

St. Louis has a 1-15 season and their only star player was running back Steven Jackson. They seesawed between quarterbacks during the year.

The 49ers also had problems with getting the right signal caller, plus Frank Gore, when healthy, is dangerous at running back. The team could change to a passing attack, but their head coach, Mike Singletary, is a defensive guy and a running game is what you use to give your defense time to rest.

Last is the Arizona Cardinals. They may have Steve Breaston, Larry Fitzgerald, and other receivers, but Kurt Warner, as stated before, is gone now. They may have Matt Leinart in charge now, but I doubt they forwent the idea of a backup plan.

I believe that since their head coach, Ken Whisenhunt, and offensive line coach, Russ Grimm, are former Steelers coaches from the 2005 Super Bowl team, they are going to emulate that team.

That team had Jerome Bettis, the best power back of the past 20 years, and he would wear defenses down while giving his time to rest. They controlled the clock and beat teams that way very often.

Last year, the Cardinals drafted Chris ‘Beanie’ Wells from Ohio State to be a power back with Tim Hightower. The two guys showed great promise working together, and totaled 1,391 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns.

All three of Seattle’s division rivals show commitment to the run game, so to bring in a pass-rushing defensive tackle is an error.

But… there is one other person.

He comes in at 6’3, 327lbs and runs a 5.17 forty. He had 27 bench press reps and a 8’00 broad jump. His name is Dan Williams and he’s a defensive tackle from Tennessee.

This guy is a true beast. Running against him is like running through a doorway while the door is closing. You have limited time to get through a tight space. Most running backs would rather bounce to the outside instead of trying to take on this guy.

I like his motor. He goes after the ball. He can deliver a good hit, but he does his job of making sure his gap is covered and tackles well. He can pass rush too, but when he was in the SEC, you usually are playing the run.

If you look at his success at Tennessee, you know you have a football player. He and Eric Berry were the only two Tennessee defenders that had at least three tackles every game in 2008.

His total stats are as follows: 48 tackles (23 solo, 25 assists), 1.5 sacks for a loss of seven yards, nine quarterback pressures, 8.5 tackles for a loss of 19 yards, and one pass deflection.

Williams is the type of defensive tackle that will not get 10+ sacks a year, but he will be a constant wall of muscle that causes pressure, stops the run, and gets a couple sacks in the process. That’s the kind of player Seattle needs and the one I recommend.

If Seattle takes Russell Okung from Oklahoma State and Dan Williams from Tennessee that’s a great draft. I’d give them a very high draft grade because they addressed two positions in the trenches that were of need with two players that are players of great talent and not guys that they forced themselves to draft because they were up against a wall.